HST Diversion, Torture, Media & Alastair Campbell
Alastair Campbell's "One Week Rule", ie. make sure no negative story for Labour/Govt lasted beyond a week, since it's extended negative stories that the public can eventually have time to grasp that really hurt parties/govts, is in effect. "Diabolically divisive" HST legislation leads CTV, the only media that counts for Cons. Torture is down to 7 minute mark, a couple of minutes later on CBC, Radio-Canada & TVA, although, journalistic consciences pricked, the pieces are relatively long, sceptical & contextualised. "We didn't lead, but hey, we did our jobs". But just as everyone knows that almost no-one reads beyond headlines, let alone to the end of stories, so we all know that newscast viewership drops off severely, second by second. The plan was clear from the beginning, get "our" generals and, to a lesser extent, "our" diplomat on the news to offer rebuttals targeted at our potential voters, then change the channel, eight days, Wednesday to following Thursday, one more than ideal, and the story may hang on till the weekend in the op-eds, etc., but really, as far as the Govt is concerned, it's over. "Who cares if 50%+ don't believe our story? It's the minority who might vote for us we care about."
Everyone on the inside knows this is the game. Most are proud they made the torture story hang on as long as it did. After all, Canada's responsibility to respect human rights in the country we're occupying (is that politically incorrect? should I say liberating?), not to turn over the inhabitants, Afghans, to be tortured, and so endanger Canadian lives, quite apart from the horrors visited on the detainees: who cares? Graeme Smith? Hippy. Colvin? Fool. He was told to shut up and fall in line and he wouldn't. He insisted on doing his job exactly as we claim a diplomat should. Doesn't he know that's all BS, an (ig)noble lie we tell ourselves to give our lives meaning, while we talking monkeys all fight to climb the greasy pole? Well, after Washington, maybe he can be seconded to the UN, or transferred horizontally. Maybe he'll understand his career is over until/unless there's a new government (independent public service? surely you jest) and leave DFAIT to join his journalist friends, since he seems so determined to write and report what he sees and hears. Best for all concerned, really.
Except for the Canadian soldiers and civilians who have suffered and will continue to suffer more attacks than they would have otherwise, leading to deaths and injuries, because of individuals, families, clans, hell the whole province, whose alienation is a result of knowing of someone who was handed over by Canadians to be tortured, as they see it. Except for the actual victims of our collaboration in torture. Except for the possibility of prosecution, whether domestic or ICC. Except for the honour of the country, except for our own honour and morality.
I know all these sick games, inside and out. But I just can't play along. I never have. And I remain foolish enough to hope that there may be sufficient honest people out there, in the media, in the Opposition, online, and in Canada in general, to keep this story alive, probably the most immediately important story as regards Canadian lives & ideals.
I don't know how Graeme Smith doesn't go insane, being there and watching the BS here. He came closer than ever to crossing the line in frustration in a truly excellent interview on CTV Newsnet. Clark is very good, a huge step up from Duffy, but what a pleasure to watch a tetchy print reporter like MacCharles have a chance to sit in the chair. I also enjoyed her interview with the MPs and hope if she'd had more time she might have asked Rae about his links to Mulroney, so Rae's desire to be excessively pliant and sympathetic to Mulroney might be better revealed.
It is clear the media would like to continue to follow this story. And the Globe & Mail has proven hearteningly offended by the government in defence of its reporters & Canadians. I may, as noted, remain naive, but I really don't think this story is going away. As I have said, the information, witnesses & corroboration are out there and it's all going to come out, sooner or later. The government may figure as long as it comes out in short bursts, easily buried by distractions, and with the dead periods of the holidays and the Olympics interrupting, they will remain safe. I don't think so. The committee will continue. "Contradictions" will become ever clearer. Canadians, and the media especially, identify with Colvin. And I think, or at least I'd like to believe, that enough journalists have gone to Afghanistan, or know colleagues who have, or have simply reported on stories about Afghanistan, that they themselves understand how important this story is, that torture has had, and will continue to have, awful consequences for Canadian & Afghan families. And those existential consequences for ordinary human beings, effectively betrayed by the Canadian government, will keep them on the story.
But it's also fundamental for Canadians who've followed this issue to continue to talk and write about, not to give up. If Richard Colvin was willing to put it all on the line, the least the rest of us can do is respect his public service, in the truest sense of the term, by keeping the issue alive. It will all come out, sooner rather than later. If the Cons were smart, they would get it all out at once, asap. The more they repress it, the more it grows inside them, like a tumour. They should have let the MPCC do its job. But Cons are Cons, full of cunning and lacking wisdom. Their tactical victories are always prefaces to their strategic defeats. Keep the faith y'all, the truth is coming like a steam train, picking up speed, and you don't want to try, or even be seen to try, to block it in its tracks. It's coming and it's going to smash all obstacles before it. Watch out. It's coming.
Everyone on the inside knows this is the game. Most are proud they made the torture story hang on as long as it did. After all, Canada's responsibility to respect human rights in the country we're occupying (is that politically incorrect? should I say liberating?), not to turn over the inhabitants, Afghans, to be tortured, and so endanger Canadian lives, quite apart from the horrors visited on the detainees: who cares? Graeme Smith? Hippy. Colvin? Fool. He was told to shut up and fall in line and he wouldn't. He insisted on doing his job exactly as we claim a diplomat should. Doesn't he know that's all BS, an (ig)noble lie we tell ourselves to give our lives meaning, while we talking monkeys all fight to climb the greasy pole? Well, after Washington, maybe he can be seconded to the UN, or transferred horizontally. Maybe he'll understand his career is over until/unless there's a new government (independent public service? surely you jest) and leave DFAIT to join his journalist friends, since he seems so determined to write and report what he sees and hears. Best for all concerned, really.
Except for the Canadian soldiers and civilians who have suffered and will continue to suffer more attacks than they would have otherwise, leading to deaths and injuries, because of individuals, families, clans, hell the whole province, whose alienation is a result of knowing of someone who was handed over by Canadians to be tortured, as they see it. Except for the actual victims of our collaboration in torture. Except for the possibility of prosecution, whether domestic or ICC. Except for the honour of the country, except for our own honour and morality.
I know all these sick games, inside and out. But I just can't play along. I never have. And I remain foolish enough to hope that there may be sufficient honest people out there, in the media, in the Opposition, online, and in Canada in general, to keep this story alive, probably the most immediately important story as regards Canadian lives & ideals.
I don't know how Graeme Smith doesn't go insane, being there and watching the BS here. He came closer than ever to crossing the line in frustration in a truly excellent interview on CTV Newsnet. Clark is very good, a huge step up from Duffy, but what a pleasure to watch a tetchy print reporter like MacCharles have a chance to sit in the chair. I also enjoyed her interview with the MPs and hope if she'd had more time she might have asked Rae about his links to Mulroney, so Rae's desire to be excessively pliant and sympathetic to Mulroney might be better revealed.
It is clear the media would like to continue to follow this story. And the Globe & Mail has proven hearteningly offended by the government in defence of its reporters & Canadians. I may, as noted, remain naive, but I really don't think this story is going away. As I have said, the information, witnesses & corroboration are out there and it's all going to come out, sooner or later. The government may figure as long as it comes out in short bursts, easily buried by distractions, and with the dead periods of the holidays and the Olympics interrupting, they will remain safe. I don't think so. The committee will continue. "Contradictions" will become ever clearer. Canadians, and the media especially, identify with Colvin. And I think, or at least I'd like to believe, that enough journalists have gone to Afghanistan, or know colleagues who have, or have simply reported on stories about Afghanistan, that they themselves understand how important this story is, that torture has had, and will continue to have, awful consequences for Canadian & Afghan families. And those existential consequences for ordinary human beings, effectively betrayed by the Canadian government, will keep them on the story.
But it's also fundamental for Canadians who've followed this issue to continue to talk and write about, not to give up. If Richard Colvin was willing to put it all on the line, the least the rest of us can do is respect his public service, in the truest sense of the term, by keeping the issue alive. It will all come out, sooner rather than later. If the Cons were smart, they would get it all out at once, asap. The more they repress it, the more it grows inside them, like a tumour. They should have let the MPCC do its job. But Cons are Cons, full of cunning and lacking wisdom. Their tactical victories are always prefaces to their strategic defeats. Keep the faith y'all, the truth is coming like a steam train, picking up speed, and you don't want to try, or even be seen to try, to block it in its tracks. It's coming and it's going to smash all obstacles before it. Watch out. It's coming.
posted by Eugene Forsey Liberal @ 11:27 PM
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